People’s problems are escalating quickly as time goes on. The masses have become broke and unable to take on any more debt as a result of the extreme price volatility of necessities and utility bills, as well as the steadily rising costs of power, petrol, and gas. This is the reason why this time, upon witnessing the sharp increase in electricity rates, the entire nation from one end of the country to the other has abruptly cried out.
It appears as though a volcano of agitation, anxiety, and rage is about to erupt because the situation has grown so serious and critical. A couple days ago, it was evident in the widespread support and participation of the population in the nationwide strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami, a relatively minor party that has never performed well in general elections. Nevertheless, people heeded the call and turned out in large numbers to express their anger against the rising inflation.
This is a sign that things have progressed to the point where it would not be too difficult for any party or leader to take the initiative and organize widespread protests out of the great resentment and public discontent. Such situations affect society like a double-edged sword. There is a real concern that certain people or parties would exploit the agitation in the public sphere or use it for their own improper ends. Additionally, there is a chance that the enemies will use this opportunity to wreak widespread havoc on the country’s order and inflict anarchy, chaos, and irreversible harm to the state.
The PDM government enthusiastically shoved the IMF deal down everyone’s throats as a “lifeline” for the country’s economy, but now its strict conditions are driving people to commit suicide with no sign of respite in sight.
The caretakers have continued to heed IMF pressure to put the burden on the masses, much like elected governments. Nobody disputes that the IMF exerts pressure and that its terms are stringent, but it must be noted that no government has sought funding from the IMF at the request of people. Furthermore, these expensive loans have never been obtained for the people’s benefit.
Since the general public has no connection to the IMF, there is no basis for those in authority to increase taxes on the general public under the pretext of IMF pressure. In addition, as per the agreement, the IMF has given the government instructions to cut spending and deficits, for which no government is prepared. Moreover, these IMF conditions are not made public. The government currently incurs a long list of pointless and useless expenses that never seem to cease, despite the heavy weight of debts. No government is prepared to put forth a sincere effort to close the gap created by financial waste. There is a chain of extravagant spending that extends from civil and military institutions to the Judiciary in a fairly regular fashion, indicating that the ruling elite are unwilling to alter its conduct.
With the customary disregard of the ruling class, the Caretaker Prime Minister made it very obvious that the Caretaker Government lacks the power to grant any relief. On the other hand, general elections’ prospects are shrouded in uncertainty. The body language of the country’s administration, the caretaker government and the Election Commission, suggests that they do not intend to perform their primary responsibility anytime soon. As a result, the speculations about the election continue, making a mockery of the constitution.
Who should we turn to for assistance if the caretaker administration is unable or unwilling to provide help or accept responsibility for the concerns of the public? Without constitutional guidance, the country cannot function in this way, and hybrid management is unable to address the needs of the masses.
As the ruling class is not prepared to modify its behavior or give up its privileges, widespread anarchy is feared. The election date needs to be announced as soon as possible so that a strong government with a popular mandate can take over the affairs. The hybrid system doesn’t seem to be able to solve the problems, thus trying to keep the helpless caretakers in place is a fruitless endeavor.
